Wall outlet and fitting



Aug. 25, 1936.l J N NIELQSEN '2,052,312

WAT-.1L OUTLET AND FITTING I`Original Filed Jan. 15, 1927 Patented ug. 25', 1936 PATNT orties aosasi win; ovino-"T AND' infinie 161,313; Patent 1933@ Divided Joseph N. Nielsen, New Fork; N. Y.

"i ai'i'to .muarly 15, ie'ztserial No. VNo.1,903,333, dated April 1s, and this application April` 17,

I 1933, `Vserial No. 666,417

2 oasis. (oi. )iiiai This invention rentes' iowau outlets' and particularly to rooinj outlets provided in dwellings or iiicesi vfort-liel attachment thr'eto' of iiXtures, such as viioo'r lanips, vacuunicla'ners and the like. f i

modern ovi`foi1iiigs-V it is customary to pioyioe a number 'of Wall outletsin a' room to give some Iatitdiharang" l l experience, however, is that the outlets arenot located to conformY with a preferred 'arrangem'ent, and as a' 'consequence Aextension cords are used. Such extensions are apt to interfere With walking or other uses of a room, and present danger o'f being broken or cut with resulting short circuits. y

:Ther present invention'has for an object an outlet of such a character that it is possible to plug in at any poir'it along afwall and avoid the use' of extension eords'. Another object isv an outlet that includes a conduit and junction: box so that line' connectionscan be madethereit'o at arconvenient place while supplying an outletl at anvother desired location; ancillary object' is the provision of a x'turesupportd'inl conductive connection with the outlet so thataloose cord connector i`s obviat'ed. l 'lhe'sel and' other objects will become apparent from the description foiiows.` M A Brieii'y described, embodiments f the invenimolding or its ed valent' uf'itlfiinj which are, tufo4 to the conductors" at anyjpoint along"l the'length of trie molding. -Tne molding may formY part' of or'run' along theupper edge'e of the baseb'oard of ajroin; or it may forma' decorativehorizontal band1 along the upper part of the wall' alone or in conjunction" .i plate rail, Wainsoot' paneling the like. incorporated with the' nioiqiiig maywbeuadditional features, such as lengthwise adjustablev Bars", t6 conceal the slots, or plugs slidingly held to limit access to the conductors. The lengthwise adjustment along the molding permits the use of a iixture including a plug element having terminals for engaging the conductors.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a section of an embodiment of an outlet on the line I-l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a rear View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a section of a modified form of outlet;

Fig. 5 is a section of another modification;

Fig. 6 is a section of a third modiication;

ment of furniture. c cirn'rnonl Fig. 7 is a section of an outlet for small currents; d

Fig. 8 is an elevation ofY a base for a fixture in conjunction with an outlet;

Fig, 9 is a sideview of the base; 5

igzrl is an elevation of another ixture mountin'glgwa'nd Y nig.l 11 is aside View thereof,` f

fIfhe wall outlet shown in Fig. l comprises a moioi `including' a strip ofinsuiation 2c that 10 parallel contiguous and coplanarlongitudinal slots 2l, u22 in` one side thereotand slots 23, 24 in? the opposite side to form middle insulating partitichswg, 26, edge portions 2l, 28, 29, 3B, and slot defining or bridgingwalls 3|, 3,2, VFor, 15 the slots 23, k2,4 there may be substituted circular recesses, shown at 23 inV Fig. 2. Witl'iinfthe slots 2L 22 are metal conductors 33,313 extending-the length of therslots; each conductor has a base portion 3 5! resting against the bottom oi 20 theslctanda reverse bend portion l3B shaped vlitl'il longitudinalcontactmeclges 57, 38 to grip tfhevprongsof aplug. Thel conductor is preferably or spring moisi to resist distortion and return, tOi the base portion is" secured byr screwsll extendngthloughppgrlings 49 fflthe Wall 3l 01." 32; for this'V 'e h ble portion can be thickened ,Y y 'yA u vs Q lIf solderejd or otherwise formed on the lone-@portait :A sheet or aber insulation 42 3o closesA the slots'l23, 24, and a metal jacketl 43 holds it inhpl Lips All" aree-ut in the metal o give ccess to' the sorews L35, and these n loe` bent outward for nailing or otherwise Sv flliily'gthe molding place,` Circularopen- 35 iiifgs'lzdnpiovide for the passage of a lead to a 4 "The ldin'girina'y be "used, as,` above described bij' @inmates ,cliches or. terminals 0f 2 plug ere` long" the length oftliemolding into 40 h thecro'rrducto'rs;v but' it ispreferred essto the clonduttorsfA Figs; 1` and'l 3 illustrate bars or plates of insulation 50 which are engaged by inturned edges 5l, 52 of the jacket d3; perforations.v 53, 54 in one or more of 45 the bars receive the prongs of a plug. These bars are arranged for removal and replacement as desired, and for this! purpose can be made narroWer than the insulation, with or without spacing strips insulation 20. When, it is desired to change the location of a plug connection, a perforated bar its new location.

In place ci bars toi conceal or protect the con- 55 ts original conformation. AtA intervals 25`V which may be integral with the 50V ductors and limit the plug connections, sliding plugs 60 can be used as shown in Fig. 4. The plug has a rectangular base 6| engaged by the jacket edges 5|, 52 and slidable along the molding. The slot opening can be made narrow and limited to the thickness of a prong 62 or B3 by an insulation strip 64 or 65; other constructions can be substituted.

As a further guard against accidental unrestricted use of plugs, modied forms of construction shown in Fig. 5 or 6 can be used. In the form shown in Fig. 5 a sliding plate 10 carries prongs 1|, 12 to contact with conductors 13, 14, and it is in turn perforated to receive the terminals of the usual plug; for contacting the latter the prongs have return spring sections 15, 16. In the form shown inFig. 6 the conductors 80, 8| are metal strips of any suitable shape for contact with spring prongs 82, 83 extending from a sliding plate or plug 84; for holding or guiding the plate or the plug a removable insulating strip 85 can be used that is held in place by screws 86 and engaged by projections 81, 88 on the prongs.

Fig. '7 illustrates in cross section a molding adapted for use in conjunction with embodiments as above described. It is designed primarily for small currents, such as radio or telephone currents, and it is accordingly fitted to receive a jack. A spring metal strip 90 is separated rom the casing 9| of the molding by an insulation strip 92 and riveted to the casing by insulated rivets 93. The casing, if metallic, can serve as the other conductor or a second strip 94 can be secured to the casing for this purpose, and it may be insulated like the iirst from the casing.

Sections of the molding can be connected into continuous lengths by providing one section with the insulation 20 projecting from its metal jacket 43 and the succeeding section with its metal jacket extending to engage the projecting insulation of the first section; the conductors can be made continuous by bonds 46, extending from a screw 39 of one section to a screw 39 of the next section, and these bonds can lie within the slots 23, 24. Other constructions can be substituted for this purpose.

The molding in its various embodiments can be used as above described or it can be used in combination with a xture; such a combination is shown in Figs. 8 and 9. A molding is mounted along the upper edge of a baseboard and a finishing strip is secured in place above it; the latter may be the molding of Fig. '1. A base plate |00 of any desired design carries a plug having terminals or prongs engaging the conductors in the molding. Hooks |02 or the like extend from the plate to support it from an upstanding edge |03 on the nishing strip or molding, and a set screw |04 can be provided in the lower part of the plate to contact the baseboard for adjusting the position of the plate. A standard rises from the plate to carry light fitting or the like |06 to which conducting wires |01 extend from the prongs |08 of the plug |0I.

The molding is useful in other relations, and Figs. and 11 illustrate a molding disposed at a. suitable height on a wall. On this molding ||0 is slidably mounted a bracket xture comprising .a plate ||2 enclosing a plug ||3 and with one or more clamping screws ||4 at the top for engaging an upstanding edge l5 on the molding and a screw or screws I6 at the bottom engaging a downwardly projecting edge |1 on the molding; the plate carries the iixture element H8. The molding can be applied exteriorly to a wall and thus used as a decorative band, or it can be inset or made nush with the wall; in the latter case spring clips extending into the conductor slots, or expanding wedges or the like, can be used to maintain the plate in position.

Evidently the molding can be finished to correspond with that of the room where it is applied by painting or enameling. The insulation can be of any suitable material as porcelain or fiber, and the exposed portions given an appearance to accord with the eect desired.

This application is a division of my copending application No. 161,313 filed January 15, 1927 and which has become Patent No. 1,903,833, April 18, 1933.

I claim:

1. A combined outlet and fitting comprising in combination a baseboard for a room including a molding, continuous conductors extending longitudinally and accessibly supported and housed within said molding for continuous longitudinal Contact therewith, and a fitting supported in slidable relation to said molding, said fitting in cluding a base, prongs extending from said base for contact with said conductors, suspension means for said base and in engagement with said baseboard for supporting the base with the prongs in contact with said conductors, a standard extending upwardly from and carried by the base, and a light fixture carried by said standard whereby an upwardly extending lamp is obtained adjustable along the wall of a room but out of contact with the floor.

2. A combined outlet and fitting comprising in combination a baseboard of a room including a molding, continuous conductors extending longitudinally and accessibly supported and housed within said molding for continuous longitudinal contact therewith, and a tting supported from said baseboard in cooperative relation with said molding, said fitting including prongs for contact with said conductors, supporting means for engagement with said baseboard for maintaining contact of said prongs with said conductors, an upwardly extending standard carried by said supporting means, and a light fixture carried by the standard.

JOSEPH N. NIELSEN. 

